Ruth Chapter 4

Last week I left the story of Ruth and Boaz where Ruth had basically proposed marriage to Boaz. She’d gone in to where he was sleeping at night uncovered his feet and lay down near his bare feet. Ruth was acting on her mother in law Naomi’s advice, they were both widows, and I think it’s a pretty bold strategy.

Now I say, ‘Ruth proposed marriage’, but what she actually said (in chapter 3 verse 9) “‘Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.’”

I like that Ruth says ‘our family’. He was the guardian redeemer or kinsman redeemer for Naomi’s family, and Ruth was born and raised in Moab. But after her husband died, Ruth said ‘Naomi where you go I go, where you stay I stay, your family is my family’. So Ruth said to Boaz you are the one who has a responsibility to care for the family, please take me in, give me a new life, and provide an heir so the family name will continue.  

Now, you might think that this is the end of the story and they all live happily ever after. But just like the thrillers in Hollywood, there’s a twist in the plot. Boaz is keen, and he says I’ll look after you. But he also knows that he has to be honourable and apparently there’s another guardian redeemer in the family who is more closely related to Naomi, and that man should be the first person to have the option of redeeming Naomi and Ruth. And Boaz knows there’s a right order, a right way to do this, and he wants to honour that cultural process.

I imagine Ruth went home and Naomi asked excitedly how everything went and Ruth said well Boaz says he has to sort something out. I wonder if all Ruth’s insecurities came to the fore – I’m a foreigner from Moab (and they all think Moabites are a disgusting nation), I’m a widow, I was married ten years and I don’t have children. I’m in a position where I have to glean the fields just to eat, what do I have going for me, will I just be a burden on Boaz, this is not going to go well. Waiting is so hard, and we often fill the space with our insecurities.

But the whole point is, that Ruth’s redemption has nothing to do with who she is or where she’s come from or what she’s done. Ruth’s redemption has everything to do with who Boaz is and what he wants to accomplish. And if can grab hold of this truth it will transform our life.

Now as I said Boaz wants to do the right thing and wants to honour the right process of the law. We’ve already been told the outcome that both Boaz and Ruth want. We know that Ruth wants to be ‘redeemed’ or be taken under the wing of Boaz, and we know that Boaz wants this too. But there’s a process to follow, and you know, doing things the right way can be a pain in the neck. But really God often shapes our character as we follow the right processes.

Ruth 4:1 “Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, ‘Come over here, my friend, and sit down.’ So he went over and sat down.”

As an aside, you know the walls of the towns were really thick, so the gate was not like a wooden fence. It was more a large area with seats, and it was where all the wise people sat and disputes would be settled there. And in the presence of 2 witnesses they could sort most things out. Boaz went looking for the relative of Naomi’s and it didn’t take long to find him.

Ruth 4:2-4, “Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, ‘Sit here,’ and they did so. ³ Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, ‘Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. ⁴ I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.’

‘I will redeem it,’ he said.”

The guy says, sure, the land sounds like a good option. Now Boaz, he’s shrewd and he says to this relative, oh good, you want the land, well there’s more. If you take the land, you also have to take a wife and mother in law for free! Oh and the wife, well she’s from Moab. And this guys like, the land sounds great but the wife from Moab and mother in law….thanks but no thanks!! So the closer guardian redeemer says, no, I’m not going to redeem Ruth.

All along Boaz knew the outcome he wanted and he was probably well enough regarded to take a short cut in the process and just marry Ruth. But he knew it wasn’t right, and acting on decisions that are not right can haunt people for life. Or it can be an outright disaster.

When Bob was at WBH, rehabilitation was a 4-10 month process and there was a real transformation process there for a lot of people. But you’d often hear in the media of footy players who were caught driving under the influence or having an affair, and they’d do a 2 week rehab. Perhaps they genuinely wanted a new life, they may have wanted a good outcome of a clean and sober life, but you can’t short change the process of transformation.

Really we do all understand this and there’s endless examples. The ads that tell you that if you take this pill you can eat whatever you want and not exercise and you’ll lose weight. And at the end of a month the only weight you’ve lost is in your wallet…it’s feeling a lot lighter!

Many people want to be able to play the piano well, but you have to start with scales and regular practice and that’s boring. I used to see people dancing and I’d be like, oh yeh, I want to do that. But any dancer here (that’s NOT me) will attest, that it starts with learning where to put your feet, how to hold your hands, how to hold your head and lots of practice.

As we follow the right processes, not just jump to the outcome we want, God will work in us and through us as we wait.

Ruth 4:7-8 “(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalising transactions in Israel.) ⁸ So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘Buy it yourself.’ And he removed his sandal.”

This is great isn’t it? When Bob and I bought a house in Macksville there was so much paperwork. And I’m someone who desperately wants to read the fine print. But this day and age it’s impossible. How about when you tick or click that you’ve read the terms and conditions…and there’s 30 pages of fine print terms and conditions.

I never feel right about saying I’ve read the terms and conditions when I haven’t and I reckon handing over a shoe sounds like a great idea. I want to buy this house from you – I hand over my Doc Martin and we’re done. Sealed.

Ruth 4:9 “Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, ‘Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon.”

Boaz says today you are my witnesses to the decision I’ve made. He makes a public declaration. And there’s something in this – nailing your colours to the mast – saying this is it, this is who I am, this is what I believe, this is what I stand for.

In passing this week I spoke to a man who knew that I’m a Salvation Army Officer and that I believe in God. We’d never met, never spoken before and as I got near him he said ‘I don’t believe in anyone’. I said to him ‘do you believe in yourself?’ he said ‘yes I believe in myself’, I said ‘well that’s a great start’ and kept going.

That’s not the best example, except to say, when people know that you’re a follower of Jesus, some will take it as an invitation to debate or deride your beliefs or character. But you are called to be a witness for Jesus and the only way you can do that is by somehow letting people know you believe in Jesus. Otherwise, they’ll just think you’re a nice person.

A generation ago, it was common to take your kids to Sunday school every if you didn’t believe in God. That doesn’t happen now. And it’s crucial that this generation is willing to say ‘Jesus is real and I follow His way’. A public declaration of who Jesus is, and what He’s done.

Ruth 4:10, Boaz continued “I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his home town. Today you are witnesses!’”

And Boaz, what a guy. Boaz is buying a field. Boaz doesn't need a field. Boaz is rich. He's got lots of fields. The last thing Boaz needs is more land. In fact, Boaz doesn't want the field. Boaz wants the girl. But he is willing to buy the field to get the bride.

It sounds a little like the parables of Jesus that I spoke about in the newsletter this week, where Jesus said, the kingdom of God shall be like a treasure hidden in a field. And a man sells everything he has to buy the field that he might get the treasure. Giving 100 percent for the treasure.

And what was the treasure that Boaz was getting? Not just a bride, but a Gentile bride. We begin to see the heartbeat of God for the world in this story. Here is Boaz from Bethlehem willing to buy a field to redeem a Gentile bride, and care and love her. It’s a beautiful picture of what Jesus has done for us.

Ruth 4:11 “Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, ‘We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.”

In other words, we pray that your descendants will be numerous. And we’ll finish with these verses.

Ruth 4:13-15 “So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. ¹⁴ The women said to Naomi: ‘Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! ¹⁵ He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.’

¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. ¹⁷ The women living there said, ‘Naomi has a son!’ And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” And we know that from David’s line, comes Jesus.

We start Advent today, celebrating tiny Jesus who comes from this heritage. We celebrate Jesus who came in to the world to redeem us, to take our mistakes and mess and give us a new life. And that redemption has nothing to do with if we’ve been good, or if we have the right background. It has everything to do with who God is, and his kindness in taking us in and giving us a new life. God bless you this week.